


One Last Time

by StagsInSilence



Series: Beyond Midnight [8]
Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013)
Genre: Adam misses him, Alcohol, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Midnighters, Nigel is in Romania, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:00:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24080953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StagsInSilence/pseuds/StagsInSilence
Summary: It's thelast jobNigel ever wants or needs to do. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but with his relationship on the rocks, it's proving to be harder than he ever thought it would be.A "goodbye" fic for the friends I've loved and lost.
Relationships: Nigel (Charlie Countryman)/Adam Raki
Series: Beyond Midnight [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/333343
Comments: 12
Kudos: 36





	One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drinkbloodlikewine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drinkbloodlikewine/gifts), [chesapeakecannibal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chesapeakecannibal/gifts), [whiskeyandspite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskeyandspite/gifts).



> I'm going to be writing this as I go. Please excuse typos since I don't have a beta for this on like I did previously and please bare with what is sure to be an all-over-the-place update schedule. I really miss writing my versions of Nigel and Adam so I'm trying to give it a go to wrap up this series like I promised I would.
> 
> I dedicate this to the Fannibals of 2015 and 2016. The squad I had that fell apart not long after the show did. I miss you guys and I'm sorry for not being a better friend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Adam and I had a blowout," Nigel blurted, knowing he'd just deck Darko again if he asked him one more time about what the fuck was wrong him._
> 
> _"Over what?" Darko was nonchalant. "You not dick him down good enough?"_
> 
> _"Fuck you," Nigel swore._

The music was so loud Nigel felt his bones rattle with every thump of bass. He also felt his heart rate beating off rhythm, but he figured that had more to do with the cocaine in his system than the music. He'd been in Bucharest two days and it was like he had gone back in time. The last time he had come back to Bucharest he felt so alive and so free. Victor was dead and the tape that had kept Nigel away was so close he had been able to feel it in his grasp. That was before Gabi had shot him, of course, but hey, he'd still gotten to see his beautiful wife again. At the end of the day that was all he had wanted back then. The image of the grubby American that had clung to her flashed before his eyes and it was enough to tug the smallest of smirks from the corner of Nigel's mouth. He had enjoyed being the shit out of that kid.

Fixing the cuffs of his dark dress shirt before running hands through his hair, Nigel ordered another drink and was thankful that the bartender wasn't fucking useless despite how packed the club was. He had always loved Bucharest. The way the city breathed was like a rush of water coming over him every time he was here. It made him feel alive.

The cold whiskey was set before him moments later and he downed half of it in a gulp. 

Who was he kidding? He was _miserable_.

"You're so pathetic," a teasing voice said in Romanian as a hand slapped Nigel on the shoulder. "Where's the Nigel that used to come around here?"

Nigel took a smaller sip of his drink, not meeting Darko's eyes as he growled in English, "Don't push your fucking luck, Darko." 

Darko sat down next to him with a sigh of exasperation, switching to English, himself. "Is it really so bad to have a bit of fun before we get to work? Get our systems loose and ready for business."

Nigel hadn't told Darko about the fight he'd had with Adam. He didn't need it getting around that he was getting soft... And that was the truth of the matter. Nigel was so miserable because he had gone soft. He wanted to be back in New York fucking his twinky fucking husband into the lushness of their overpriced mattress and sleep til noon not because he was hungover but because he was comfortable. The moment he had gotten off the plane, Nigel had started drinking. The moment he met up with Darko he'd starting snorting. Two fucking days of that hadn't been able to fix Nigel's mood and he was starting to wonder if he was on his way to overdoing it before he'd be able to shake off the funk.

"Oi, Nigel."

Darko snapped his fingers in front of Nigel's face and the other man realized he'd zoned out, lost in his thoughts. "I gotta take a piss," he muttered in Romanian. 

"Nigel!"

Nigel ignored Darko as he made his way to the toilets, ignoring the girls that pawed at him as he went, tits out looking for the guys with cash to take care of them for the night and further line Darko's pockets as well as their own. Nigel may have been fucked up, but he had to give Darko credit for knowing how to pick the girls in his club. They were almost better cons than he was. 

Finally in the bathroom, Nigel shouldered his way into a stall and used his foot to put the lid down before taking a seat. He pulled his phone out and swiped at the screen, his thumb hovering over the button that would take it off of airplane mode. When he'd turned the setting on, he knew it would mean that he'd be incommunicado to the world. His world. Adam. He'd never gone this long without checking in with the other man, never been more than eight hours without a flirty text, a dirty picture... Nigel wasn't sure what scared him more about taking his phone off airplane mode: being spammed by messages from Adam trying to reach him... or not having any messages at all...

With a sigh, he swiped at the screen again to get rid of the settings display - chickening out once again - and was faced with a picture of Adam on his home screen. His crooked smile shining brightly at him while Nigel bit at his soft cheeks. What he would do for one more kiss before he had left...

There was a thud on the stall door and Nigel glared.

"There's a whole fucking room of toilets, asshole," he cursed.

"But only one with your sorry ass in it," Darko shot back from the other side of the door. " _Futu-ți Cristoșii și Dumnezeii mă-tii, Nigel_! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Nigel put his phone away and opened the stall. He shot a quick glance at the main door and saw that Darko had locked it, clearly ready for a fight if need be. Nigel could use a good brawl. Maybe that would help him blow off some of the steam he so badly needed to get rid of.

"Well?"

"None of your _fucking_ business, Darko," he said, shouldering past him to get to the sinks, but Darko grabbed his shirt.

"Not _fucking_ good enough, Nigel."

"What the fuck do you want, Darko?!" Nigel turned and pulled himself free from Darko's grasp in the process. "Wasn't this supposed to be a job with a fucking deadline? What the fuck are we doing in your goddamn titty bar?"

"It's also been fucking months since I've fucking seen you, man. _Years_ since you've actually been back in the fucking country let alone Bucharest. Is it the end of the fucking world to pad the calendar to see the fucker who knows more about me than my fucking wife does?"

Nigel wanted an excuse to hit him, but Darko wasn't giving him one. They were best fucking friends. Untouchable bastards here in Bucharest. It wasn't a crime if Darko wanted to paint the town a little before they got down to the crime part.

"So?" Darko prompted again. "You gonna tell me what the fuck is wrong with you or am I gonna have to beat it out of you like the fucking tourists who try and skip out on their tabs?"

Nigel raised an eyebrow - there was his reason to fight - and Darko sighed.

"Suit yourself," Darko muttered and, like a boxer, squared off before firing a jab in one swift motion. 

The bedroom was hot as Adam curled in the fetal position beneath the heavy weighted blanket that sat over top of the covers. He'd barely been able to get it on the bed, he felt so drained. For the first time in far longer than just a few years, Adam broke his routine. He'd broken it for two days now and it was unclear if that was feeding his anxiety or simply didn't matter because of how anxious he was. 

Beth had come around the previous day, having known Nigel was going away on a "business trip" and she had barely been able to get Adam to drink some water. He'd heard her try to make calls on Adam's phone, but he didn't think she had gotten through to Nigel. Although, he hadn't really registered her words. For all he knew, she was on the couch or in the guest room. He hoped she wasn't. He just wanted to disappear. 

Adam burrowed further beneath the covers, ignoring his discomfort in the heat, and closed his eyes tight at the sound of the bedroom door opening. Neither of his wishes had come true.

"Adam?" Beth asked softly as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her weight shifted the mattress ever so slightly. "Adam, you need to come eat something. Please?"

He didn't move. Didn't speak.

Beth sighed and placed a hand on the lump beneath the covers that was Adam's ankle. "I tried to call him again, but it went right to voicemail. I've left your phone on the side table, but please, Adam, if you just told me what happened then we can work together to fix it."

Adam wanted to believe her. _Dear God_ , did he want to believe her. But he couldn't.

Darko and Nigel panted on the disgusting floor of the bathroom. Both of them red-faced with bruises starting to come up already. Nigel's nose was bleeding and Darko had a split lip. The fight had helped Nigel some, but he was still miserable. 

"Now what?" Darko asked, spitting out a glob of blood.

"I don't fucking know."

"Well, I mean now that you got your fight, tell me wha-"

"Adam and I had a blowout," Nigel blurted, knowing he'd just deck Darko again if he asked him one more time about what the fuck was wrong him.

"Over what?" Darko was nonchalant. "You not dick him down good enough?"

"Fuck you," Nigel swore.

" _Nigel_."

The two men glared at each other, but there was no heat in it. Nigel was hopped up enough that he hadn't slept in almost the entire time he'd been away from Adam. He was exhausted and angry and...

"He didn't want me to come. He said the job wasn't worth the risk and he was nervous. He wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell him it would be fine and I lost it. After all this time of him just going with this, and the idea that this could be the end of all the shit I've made him do, I got fucking fed up with him pushing back."

"He's never pushed back before?" Darko's wife Marina was constantly pushing back against Darko but they had fucking kids and she liked where their life was. The clubs Darko ran were enough to support them all and she didn't get why her good for nothing husband kept insisting on getting himself caught up in messes. Not that Darko stayed in a mess for long. His track record was certainly a lot fucking cleaner than Nigel's was.

Nigel shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "He's just... He _trusts_ me. I guess. I don't fucking know."

"You talked to him?"

"Fuck no," Nigel snorted, wrinkling his nose as blood began to trickle again. "I need another fucking drink."

Darko got to his feet as Nigel did, brushing himself off as best he could. "You sure that's what you want, Nigel?"

"Yeah," he replied, splashing water on his face. "Like you said, I've had my fight. Let's get fucking wasted."

Darko didn't say anything but he wasn't about to say no as they made their way out of the bathroom, ignoring the glares from other patrons at the club who had been trying to get in.

It had been a week now. Beth had managed to coax Adam out of the bedroom to get him eating, but he was like a zombie. This was a broken person going through the motions because the pieces of himself refused to just give up. She hadn't tried to reach Nigel again, but also didn't ask Adam if he had either. She still didn't know what happened, and every time she pressed for answers, Adam refused to say anything and usually just ended up going back to bed. Beth didn't know what he did all day, still going to her own job and making stops for new clothes and groceries for Adam. He'd left a credit card out that she was welcome to use according to him.

A week became eight days. Then nine. Then ten...

Adam sat at the table, eating cereal that tasted like dust. Beth had stopped sleeping over, saying she couldn't keep trying to help him if he didn't want to be helped. She had brought him a bunch of groceries before she took her things and went home at last. He could take care of himself. There were delivery services he could sign up for online. He didn't need to leave the apartment. He didn't need to be babysat.

Giving up on the rest of his cereal, Adam moved to the couch and wrapped himself in a blanket. With his knees drawn up to his chest, he set his laptop on his feet and tapped away at a few coding problems. With no shipments to track or codes to scramble to make things disappear, Adam finally opened his email from before he'd met Nigel and found hundreds of requests for freelance coding work from past contacts. It was all basic work. Fixing a website bug here. Reworking app formatting there. He could do it in his sleep and with his zombie-like brain running the show, he reached back out to a handful of them. A basic distraction was better than nothing. Maybe if he pretended hard enough, he could go back to the way his life was without Nigel. 

The very thought had Adam's chest tightened and he almost let his laptop fall to the ground as his breathing grew laboured. He pushed the computer to the other end of the couch and curled in on himself, breathing heavily as he pressed his face between his knees, eyes clenched shut tightly. The ring on his finger dug into his skin, reminding him that there was no going back. There was no erasing Nigel. Time didn't work like that. Memories didn't work like that.

His body tensed, muscles shaking against the strain and skin flushing as he fought so hard against the tears spilling down his cheeks. Adam's jaw hurt from how tight his teeth were clenched and his hands worked their way into his greasy curls, pulling at them until his head hurt as well. Why did everyone leave? How could he have ever convinced himself that things were different now? He would always be too much for people to handle. Always.

By the time the tears stopped and his aching muscles relaxed at last, Adam lifted his head to see he was sitting in the dark. He was exhausted again and dragged himself off the couch, dragging his bare feet along the floor as he made his way into the bedroom. He didn't bother with the light or even to drop the blanket around his shoulders as he got into bed - flopping on the side of the bed opposite the bunched covers. 

Despite the weight of his body, the pressure pulling him to sleep, Adam found himself staring at the clock on the side table, the vague outline of his phone visible in front of it. He hadn't picked it up since Beth had put it there. Hadn't heard it buzz or chime or anything. He wondered if maybe it had died, but couldn't bring himself to look at the blank screen that was sure to be there. If Nigel hadn't called when he landed, there was no calling now. He was too much of an all-or-nothing person. Adam never could understand that aspect of Nigel, but he had enjoyed the impulsiveness that had come with his attitude. Adam's eyes stung again thinking about it but there was no moisture left in them to cry any more. 

He must have dozed off for a bit because the next thing he knew, there was music in the room. Adam was disoriented as he sat up, his muscles aching as he did so. He looked at the clock again and saw not much time had passed at all. But it wasn't the radio in the clock making noise. It was his phone. Without thinking, he answered it, voice tight from disuse and anxiety.

"Hello?" he managed to get out.

"Adam."

Adam's chest tightened again at the sound of his name. "Nigel."


End file.
